Demolition has begun on old Mahood Lumber building in Kincardine

The old Mahood Lumber building is coming down.

Fencing went up in mid-August and the demolition work is being done by Roy-Mar Demolition of Owen Sound, under the supervision of general contractor Allen Hastings of Chesley.

The south portion of the building is mostly torn down, with the north part to be demolished within the next few weeks.

Located at the intersection of Durham Market South and Queen Street, just south of the Kincardine Arts Centre and Victoria Park in Kincardine, the structure is being demolished to make way for a 30-unit condominium complex by Kincardine developer Keith Battler. The six-storey building will include a ground-floor parking lot.

Battler expects to have the land cleared by this fall and then begin building in late spring or early summer next year. He purchased the property nine years ago and first brought his proposed housing project to Kincardine council about six years ago.

In response to questions that the work site has been shut down due to safety concerns, Battler says, "As a precaution, when taking the building down, we stop and have materials tested to make sure we are not dealing with any hazardous materials. We have done this six times so far. This slows the process but protects the environment."